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Monday, August 30, 2010

Well, the Hexagon Star top is not completely done, but I've started the borders and the star is only basted on the background. I'm liking how this is turning out. I had some other border options but decided on this one because it's relatively simple and I didn't want to distract from the star. I'm thinking that I'll quilt something special in the large open corner areas, perhaps using a variegated holiday thread.

The striped fabric in the first border is the same fabric that I used for my guild retreat quilt, only this time I used it horizontally rather than vertically. I can't find the picture of the finished retreat quilt right now, but I'll keep looking and post it later. My friend Rachel quilted the quilt for me and here's a picture that she took, but it doesn't show the borders.

This quilt (wallhanging) is made entirely from fabric left over from that retreat quilt and I'm really happy about that. I think the finished size will be something like 45" x 55". It feels good to finally use up those Christmas fabrics that have been hanging around my sewing room for a long time! I think I'll inventory the Christmas stash and make pillowcases, stockings, or something else and use up that fabric so I can replace it with more current holiday wares.

Check out what other quilters have on their Design Walls today by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Not much stash used this week, but I've been making progress on the Hexagon Star quilt. I should have all of the outer hexagons added by tomorrow night and then I just have to applique it on to the background, add borders, quilt and bind it. Boy, when you write out all the remaining steps, it sure feels like I haven't made much progress. I am really looking forward to finishing this project. I hope it looks as good in reality as it does in my head!

I spent some time cutting up clothing for a memory quilt that I need to get working on soon and I always enjoy that. Part of me thinks I should be able to declare the clothing for these memory quilts as fabric because I cut up A LOT of clothing for these things. Of course I would then have to declare the same clothing as being added to stash and I wouldn't want to do that.

So, even though I worked a lot of extra hours this week and I only used a yard of fabric, I feel like I accomplished a fair amount and I'm happy. Of course that could also be because Nikki, Zach, Quinn, and Sadie are here!

Here's the weekly report:

Fabric Used This Week: 1.00 yards

Fabric Used to Date: 214.00 yards

Fabric Added This Week: 0.00 yards

Fabric Added to Date: 105.75 yards

Net Fabric Used for 2010: 108.250 yards

Check out the stash reports of other quilters at Judy L.'s Patchwork Times blog.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

There is really very little chance that I will get the Hexagon Star top completely done this weekend. Nikki and family will be here tonight because of a death in Zach's family and I have to get things ready. Of course I'm not going to want to do much sewing when I could be playing with Quinn, holding Sadie, and visiting with Nikki and Zach! Here is what is done so far.

I'm happy with the progress and I've been playing with some layout ideas. I plan to applique the star on a black background, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do about borders. Hopefully I'll have come up with something for Design Wall Monday.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

I've been at work a lot more hours this week so my Hexagon Star progress is a bit slower than I had hoped, but I now have the center part of the star complete and 3 of the star points. I have all of the hexagons basted to finish the star points and I should be able to get them sewn together tonight. Then I just have to sew them to the center, add the final gold hexagons to complete the star and applique it to the background.

I'd love to be able to get this top completed by the end of the weekend but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I've also been working on our local Bras for a Cause project which is part of our annual Girls Night Out. This is a really fun and worthwhile event and feel free to e-mail or call me if you have questions. If you'd like to participate, by all means do so. Entries are NOT limited to local paticipants.

Monday, August 23, 2010

I'm teaching a couple of classes over the next month or so at a local quilt shop and I'm taking time to get my supplies, samples. and lessons in order. Besides the Weaver Fever Quilt, I'll be teaching English Paper Piecing (EPP). I'll be teaching the technique of EPP and not an actual project, and when I teach a technique rather than a project, I like to have a couple of possible quilt layouts or other projects for the students. I do this because I think it helps "sell" the class and I want them to have a project to make so they can practice and perfect the technique.

As you know, I've been working on piecing 60 blocks for my king-sized hexagon/grandmother's flower garden quilt and I have 14 blocks done.

I don't plan on putting the entire quilt top together until I have all of the blocks made so I'll have them "together" on a portable design wall to show what the final product will look like (I'm a control freak, remember? I need to have the flexibility of arranging the blocks before I start sewing them together .)

Anyway, after reading Bonnie Hunter's blog a few days ago about pulling out a hexagon UFO to work on, I was inspired to make a small sample using the hexagons - but in a total different type of setting. Below is the beginning of the sample and a quick sketch of what I'm planning. Of course this means that I have to set aside my other blocks to work on this, but I'm excited to see how this turns out. Actually, as we all know I NEVER work on just one project at a time so I'll probably work on both of these hexagon projects, Sadie's quilt, the couple of memory quilts that I need to finish, and whatever UFO I happen upon that "speaks" to me again. :-)

I'll applique the finished star onto another piece of fabric (probably black, to match the look and feel of my guild retreat quilt) and make this a wallhanging to go with that quilt. I'm using left-over fabrics from the retreat to make this project so I'll be using stash!! YEAH!!!

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I didn't get nearly as much sewing done as I had hoped this past week, because I had to work quite a few more hours this week than I had anticipated. It looks like the next week is more of the same so I don't have much faith that I'll get much sewing done before the next report. :-(

I did make three more hexagon blocks so I now have a total of 14 and I did add the first and second borders to Sadie's quilt. I'd really like to get that done before Labor Day weekend, but we'll see.

Here's the weekly report:

Fabric Used This Week: 1.375 yards

Fabric Used to Date: 213.00 yards

Fabric Added This Week: 0.00 yards

Fabric Added to Date: 105.75 yards

Net Fabric Used for 2010: 107.250 yards

Check out the stash reports of other quilters at Judy L.'s Patchwork Times blog.

Monday, August 16, 2010

I love Design Wall Monday, even if I don't have anything to show. I'm not saying that I have nothing to show today, because I do, but I realized this morning how much I look forward to spending time checking out what everyone has on their design walls. I've seen some amazing works in progress and it never fails that I see a project that just HAS to be added to my never-ending "to do" list.

I've also found that I'm intrigued by new techniques that I see, as well as unique color combinations. I have to say a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who make scrap quilts. Your pictures have helped me overcome my control issues and allowed me to dive into the wonderful world of scrap quilts, even if many of mine are "controlled scrappy."

Last week I posted a picture of fabric that I pulled from my stash that I wanted to use for Sadie's quilt. Of course I hadn't made the final decision on what pattern I was going to use, but at least I had an idea of the fabric. I love the browns and teals and a lot of this fabric was left over from my Caffeine Chaos quilt. After I made that quilt, I began to see those colors in lots of other quilts and it just reinforced my desire to make another project in the same color scheme.

After toying with lots of possible patterns, I finally decided on the Spiderweb pattern. I know this might sound kind of strange for a baby quilt, but I think this is pretty symbolic of Sadie's birth. She was overdue, it was hot, Nikki was kind of "out of sorts" because Quinn was not with them for a whole week prior to AND after the birth, Sadie had trouble breathing and spent time in the NIC-Unit, and things just seemed a bit crazy for a while until we knew everything was ok. (This is symbolized by the scrappy web part of the blocks.) Finally, things started to settle down. Nikki and Sadie go home, (breathing beautifully, thank you very much!), Quinn returns home and adores her sister, and Nikki and Zach embark on the challenge of raising two kids while juggling work and school. So far, so good. (This is symbolized by the dark outline of the stars and the stars themselves.) Ok, maybe I'm being a bit too philosophical about this quilt, but I'm just telling you why I made the decision to use this pattern. Anyway, I got started on the quilt this past weekend and here's the progress so far.

I had hoped to have at least the first border on before I went to bed last night, but we lost power during a storm and that took care of sewing. I REALLY want to get a generator big enough so I can sew when we lose power, which seems to be happening more frequently. I do care about keeping the refrigerator, lights, etc. running, but I want a generator large enough to keep all of the appliances running AND allows me to sew. Priorities, people, priorities! :-) A girl can dream, right?

I'm headed to the county fair shortly where I'll be judging the open class quilts. I did this last year and really enjoyed it so I was happy that I was asked to do it again this year.

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times. Who knows, you might find a new project that you just have to do!!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

I finally got a little sewing done this week and I feel good about that. I've been working on projects for other people - memory quilts, etc. so I haven't used a lot of stash, but I did use some, and every little bit counts!

Here's the weekly report:

Fabric Used This Week: 6.00 yards

Fabric Used to Date: 211.625 yards

Fabric Added This Week: 1.50 yards

Fabric Added to Date: 105.75 yards

Net Fabric Used for 2010: 105.875 yards

Check out the stash reports of other quilters at Judy L.'s Patchwork Times blog.

Friday, August 13, 2010

I feel like I'm back in college because it is almost 8:30 and we are just getting ready to go out for the evening. Jack and I are going to a Perseids Meteor Shower viewing party and of course that means that the party doesn't start until after dark. Of course I wanted to make something special for the event so I made salsa - I LOVE salsa - and a star cake.

Now, I know that it's hard to tell that the cake is a shooting star, but I tried. I don't think that the Cake Boss has anything to worry about and I'm really glad that I quilt much better than I decorate cakes. Then again, maybe I'm delusional about that as well. Do you notice the shower caps in the bottom of the picture? I thought it would be appropriate to have caps for everyone, after all, it is a shower. :-)

Monday, August 9, 2010

Here it is almost 9:00PM and I'm just now posting my Design Wall Monday pictures. How sad is that? I guess it's fitting though since I just got home from work and I won't even begin to think about sewing for another hour or so. Who knows, I might just wait until tomorrow. :-) I usually try to post before I go to work but I had LOTS of errands to run today and left home much earlier than normal. Oh well, at least I'm posting.

Here are the fabrics I've picked out for Sadie's quilt.

I had decided to wait until she was born before I made my decision on what quilt to make, and as I was looking at my stash this weekend, I just kept coming back to these fabrics. I really like the color combination. They remind me of the Caffeine Chaos quilt that I made a few months back. I'm still toying a bit with the pattern and will make my decision tonight!

Also, here is the block that I was working on while Nikki was in labor with Sadie.

I've decided that I'm going to pick various blocks and "assign" them to special people or events so this one is going to be named "Sadie Jane." I'm going to take a look at the one's I've completed and "label" them and then make a list of who and what I want to honor with a block. Since I have to make about 60 blocks, I don't think I'll have a problem running out of blocks. More than likely, I'll run out of people or events to honor!

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

For those that missed it. Sadie Jane was born Tuesday and I noticed something interesting as I was preparing an e-mail announcing her birth to some friends and family. Sadie was born on 8/3, she weighed 8lbs. 3 oz., and she was born at 8:30AM. What do YOU think will be her lucky numbers?

In terms of stash usage this week, it was a virtual bust. I have some things I want to start but I haven't begun "shopping the stash" yet and I know that I'll have to buy some fabric because I'll need some yardage, not just small pieces. Perhaps I'll get a chance this afternoon to see what I have and make a list of what I need.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sadie Jane was finally born Tuesday morning at 8:30. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and measured 21" long. She's a cutie! She's been hanging out at the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) since soon after birth because of a possible infection and the fact that she's having some trouble breathing, but she's progressing pretty well.See, isn't she cute? I couldn't get a picture of Nikki, Zach, and Sadie because only two people are allowed in the NICU at a time so I guess I'll have to get that picture later. Nikki got a couple of really good pictures of Zach and Sadie, and I know that I Lynn got some really good pictures also. I can't wait to see all of them and also get one of Quinn with Sadie.

Right before we left Cincinnati today, I noticed the flooring in Nikki's room. It reminded me of a quilt border. Of course I'd been walking on those floors since Monday and never noticed the pattern. Isn't it amazing what is right under our noses, I mean feet?

How about this? It was right over us on the way to Cincy.While on Interstate 71 south between Mansfield and Columbus, we saw an ultra-lite plane. It was flying right over the highway and was pretty low. It was pretty cool, but I decided that if I ever flew one of these, I wouldn't be comfortable flying over a major highway so low.

Welcome to the world Sadie Jane! I know you'll be a beautiful addition to it. Like the ultra-lite above, I know you'll bring lots of color and joy to our lives!

For the last month I've been working on an English Paper Piecing project off and on. At the end of June, I received a package from a swap of mini nine patches in which I participated. Along with my 200 blocks, I received a sample English Paper Piecing kit. The kit (put together by a company called Paper Pieces) included 7 paper hexagons (3/4"), 7 small squares of fabric (2") and a set of instructions. I figured, "what the heck" and gave it a try. The picture below has the original kit and two other blocks that I made reusing the paper pieces.

I really enjoyed doing this and decided that since I have a fair amount of reproduction scraps that I would make a bed size quilt using this technique. Of course that means the entire project will be hand pieced and quilted, and since I'm only working on it while I'm watching TV, waiting at the doctor's office, etc. it probably won't get done until I'm 120 years old. Anyway, below are the nine blocks that I have done so far and the pieces ready to make the next block. (Perhaps I'll work on that when Nikki calls and says that she's gone to the hospital to have the baby! Of course the way things are going, that may take a while! Not really, she goes back to the doctor tomorrow and they will decide their "plan of action.")

I'm really liking these blocks and my husband Jack has enjoyed them as well. Actually, Jack recently reminded my that when we had taken a hand quilting class together at a local quilt shop (about ten years ago) we met a woman who made a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt entirely by hand. She was a flight attendant and had pieced the blocks while she was on layovers, waiting for flights, etc. Of course Jack remembers that I said that even though I thought it was beautiful, I would NEVER make one. The moral of the story is to never say never!

As I said before, I'm not working on this exclusively, but I since I don't have anything else to show for Design Wall Monday, I decided to post this. I'll probably show progress on this off and on, especially if I don't have anything else to show.

As you can tell from the pictures, I've decided to make this quilt pretty scrappy. I'm not really trying to match fabrics (other than the center hexagons and the connecting or path pieces). It should be interesting to see how this turns out.

Oh, by the way. I'm using 1" hexagons for my blocks. I seriously considered using 3/4" or even 1/2" hexagons, but decided that was just CRAZY!!

How many of you have made one of these quilts? Perhaps a better question would be "How many of you have STARTED one of these quilts?"

Sunday, August 1, 2010

I just had to do it. Because I've been working on memory quilts and UFOs, I didn't use much stash this week and it was bugging me because I REALLY wanted to break the 100 net used mark. SOOOOOOO, last night I sat down and made pillowcases. I feel like I cheated, but then again, I used stash right?

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About Me

I live in northern Ohio with Jack, my wonderful husband of 16 years. I am the mother of Nikki and Lynn, and the grandmother to Quinn Elise, Sadie Jane, Ronan Gene, Avery Lynn, Peyton Louise, Bailey Shae, and Layne John.
Quilting is my passion and I'm fortunate to have the support and encouragement of my family.
Speaking of family; I am the 9th of 12 children and I'm slowly, but surely turning the others into quilters.
Life is good!